by Tina Velgos | by Tina Velgos |
The Reading Lesson (Book/CD-ROM) |
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Perfect for homes and home schools, the Reading Lesson is a
comprehensive learn-to-read package (book and CD-ROM) for less than $50.
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| If your child is having difficulty learning to read, The Reading Lesson stands out as
an exceptional program aimed at children ages 4 and older. Although perfect for using at home and home schools, this workbook/software combination could also be integrated into the primary classroom. If used in the classroom, at least one teacher and a few parent helpers (or aides) should be on hand to help individual children, as needed. The workbook and the software could also be used with an overhead projector, but I believe it would work better as an individual program or for one-on-one tutoring. Although you can buy the book separately, I recommend buying the book and software combination. This gives you the opportunity to play the software first with your pre-reader, lesson by lesson, and then to work your way to the supplemental workbook for reinforcement. For children who are accustomed to "edutainment" software, this software is a bit of a departure. The graphics are simplistic yet the sound effects are lively and entertaining. It's not a boring educational title but it IS an educational title. Caution: the workbook may seem like homework to your child. With this in mind, using a reward system (your choice) would work well when implementing the workbook, although it's unlikely you'll need to reward your child for playing the fun-filled CD-ROM which opens up a brand-new world of reading to your child. The key is taking little baby steps with the workbook. Do not overwhelm your child by pushing ahead and accomplishing more pages than needed! This program was created by developmental pediatrician, Michael Levin M.D. and his wife. They were disappointed with the availability of quality learn-to-read material for their 4-year-old daughter and instead, developed this innovative easy-to-use method, based on Michael's understanding of child psychology and development. I think it's important to know that the software and book feels handcrafted and unique. Many hours of hard work went into these products and it definitely shows. A little simplicity goes a long away. An important tool to children with AHDD and other LDs, the Reading Lesson consists of 20 lessons which are carved into perfect little segments which hold a child's limited attention span. It's important not to overstimulate children in the process of learning to read. You should pace the daily lessons with the age and ability of your child. Kids over six year of age may be able to take on more pages and time on the computer than a very young four-year-old. Some children may be early preschool readers, while others don't develop an interest in books and reading until later. The Reading Lesson is a well-structured, learn-to-read program which will help children learn to become fluent readers! Best of all, parents can be instrumental in their child's learning. From my experience as a technology educational journalist and parent to two kids who love to read, one of the most precious moments you can spend with your child are teaching your child how to read. Thanks to today's technology, the job is easier than ever with products like The Reading Lesson. Software makes learning phonetic pronunciation easier for kids and helps parents learn the importance of letter sounds. Children can learn word recognition skills through key words, based on phonics or as sight words. The program contains approximately 500 key words (or commonly used words in the English language). What makes this program tick is that it starts off with words and simple stories from the very beginning. Positive reinforcement is key to reading and the software and book (along with the parent or teacher) is instrumental in providing ample reinforcement. The fonts are friendly while the characters are cute! In fact, my only gripe in the entire program is when Giggle Bunny (the CD-ROM's main character) introduces kids to his own family's story. The problem here is that the narration doesn't match the text on the bottom of the screen and that the audio seemed scratchy (tested on an Apple iBook). This is confusing to young readers and unfortunate. The companion interactive CD-ROM is simple to use (with a parent or teacher present) and has various activities including "Let's Make Words", "Word Theater", "Let's Write Words" and "Word Game". One of the activities even includes some early keyboarding skills as kids "write" words using their keyboards. The overall book and software combination is an excellent program for pre-readers and a "must have" for responsible parents and teachers who would like to teach their kids to become great readers! You can also download a demo of the program on the company's web site. |
